Seasons of Home: Autumn

Good morning friends! Today I’m honored to participate in the Seasons of Home: Autumn edition with some of my very favorite bloggers. These are girls who are beautiful, inside and out, talented, warm, forgiving, uplifting, and help you become a better version of yourself without ever making you feel inadequate. If we lived in the same town, we’d be having girl’s nights every week and we *might* not be as productive with our blogs… or maybe that is just me! 😉

What I’m sharing today is the restyling of my little buffet/console table in my living room. I didn’t photograph this area as part of my home tour, because I was completely stumped. I had been vignetted-out, to be honest. My creative brain juice was squeezed dry and I just didn’t know what to do. Do you have a place like that in your home where you just get stuck? So I let it sit… un-styled for about a month.

We have really enjoyed our home this fall season. I mean, I’m not saying we don’t enjoy it other times of the year, but in the summer we spend most of the time outside and before that I had so many projects that I wanted to do that I wasn’t at peace in the spaces. Instead of looking at it, living in it, and appreciating the room, I was looking at it and creating to-do lists in my head. I still have to-do lists for each room, but because I spent time really making each room a little more polished, I ended up wanting to spend more time there. And when we clean things up, I’m proud of the way it looks cozy, clean and ‘me’. I’m choosing to see memories and bits of our life, instead of immediately thinking of what it can be ‘some day’.

We have spent lots of evenings having s’mores and talking around our fire pit.

We have eaten lots of after-school snacks and family meals out on our new patio table.

We have had friends over for our fall party, playing silly games and making messes.

Because I spent my energy on making memories, I stopped making lists in each room. I enjoyed our home, in this season of Autumn.

So, earlier this week I looked at this table with new eyes. How can I make this table a bright spot, instead of something forgotten? I started with the tall mirror. It was one of my last, un-used stash-mirrors that originally had a brown trim. Because the floor is dark, the table is dark, and the walls are medium tone, I wanted to keep most everything on top light and more airy. So I painted that mirror white.

If you look carefully, you can see the new floor lamp we got for the side of our slipcovered wing chair…. at night that side of the room needed a light source, since there was none previously. It is perfect and from Ikea for only $50.

Then, remaining in my “light-colored” rule, I pulled out the things in my house that fit that rule. ALL the things… I made quite a mess. Then I started putting things in place.

I put a new large cloche I got in the clearance section at HomeGoods on top of the cake plate pedestal with a faux plant inside. That was a winning combination, so I left it be, and started working on the other side to balance it out.

Then on the other side I put a white vase filled with branches from outside. I wanted to keep some orange-rust colors in this vignette to coordinate with the rest of the room, but the height with the vase by itself, wasn’t tall enough to make it look right. So I just stacked some bind-less books underneath and those branches were able to disguise the light-switch (which was bugging me).

After that, it was just a matter of adding a wooden bowl/dish thing filled with the newly purchased antlers from last weekend and some gourds. Suddenly this space looks intentional without looking fussy. The mirror not only is helpful when you need to check that tweaker out, but it reflects a lot of light in this otherwise darker corner (when the blinds are closed).

I didn’t buy anything new for the purpose of this vignette. Some of the items were new “good deal finds” that I hadn’t found a place for yet… but I mostly used what I already had, starting with simple ‘rules’ and playing around with it until it made me smile.

I hope your home makes you smile because of the memories you envision when you look at it, not because of the ‘to-do’ lists mounting in your head or the clutter that you can’t see past. Shop your ‘stash’ or other places in your home and transform that spot that stumps you. Embrace this season as it beckons you to spend more time indoors, enjoying your family and making new memories!

xo, Rachel

Make sure you look at all these other inspiring fall vignettes from my dear friends:

Rachel,
I have just recently found your blog and do enjoy it. You have both a beautiful home and attitude. Love your floor lamp. Could you share where you purchased it? I too have learned to embrace each season as it comes and what it has to offer.
Marlene

Oh man, I constantly fight the Be Present in the Moment vs. OMG I Have a List a Mile Long in my Head battle! I loved all the photos of you and your family having fun together. And I’m glad you broke out of the vignette funk because it looks lovely 🙂

Oh, gosh, Rachel, I wished we lived closer – girls nights out would be so amazing. LOVE how you’ve styled this little area. The mirror looks amazing and adds so much light. I also LOVED seeing all your family photos of enjoying your home and fall. xx

Rachel, I love your entryway. The mirror is beautiful and I love the white pitcher with the colorful branch tucked inside. I also like how you put the biggest book on top instead of on the bottom. Clever! 😉